Something to think about
Homeless’ workers live out in the open Published: Friday, 8 August, 2008, 01:04 AM Doha Time
By Sarmad Qazi
Despite the oppressive weather these labourers find sleeping in the open a better option than living in the “hell” of labour camp accommodation
A GROUP of construction workers have been sleeping in the open for the past eight months – because it is better than living in the “hell” of labour camp accommodation.
Five men, four from North Africa and a south Asian, were seen bedding down for the night next to an under-construction 7-storey residential building at 11pm in the heart of Doha on Wednesday.
“It is an irony that we build these ‘residential apartments’ and don’t have a roof to sleep under,” said one visibly exhausted worker.
“My company did provide me with accommodation when I landed here in January, but the rooms were overcrowded – 12 in one room – and the food quality was horrendous. We simply decided to live out in the open rather than the hell my company calls accommodation. The decision is solely ours.”
According to the labourer, there are more than 200 Nepalese workers at the company-provided accommodation located in the Industrial Area, as well as the dozens of Muslims from his home country, Egypt.
“How are we supposed to live together with people who have religious and cultural habits, diametrically opposed to ours?” he asked.
“There is a remarkable difference in our bathroom habits, food tastes and living style, all of which we were forced to share.”
The labourers Gulf Times spoke to work on site from 5am to 1pm. Due to the lack of facilities, they use the local mosque to freshen up and dinner is “one chicken with a lot of gravy and bread” paid for by the five of them chipping in.
“We have also made a makeshift bathroom onsite, while our clothes and ‘bedding’ gets bundled up every morning and tucked into a brick-made storage space,” the worker explained.
Despite making the best of their environment, the labourers admit they often spend a torturous night struggling to get to sleep on old, worn mattresses and pillows – and in the midst of the summer humidity even breathing becomes an act of great difficulty.
The labourer added: “The winters are tolerable in the open, but now half the night is wasted scratching my skin due to heat rashes. For most of the time we just pretend to each other that we are sleeping and gaze at the stars.”
The Egyptian said he and his colleagues were not the only labourers these days to spurn camp accommodation for the open skies, and he claimed other workers were sleeping at under-construction sites in Muntazah, Mansoura and Najma.
“We like our Arab-speaking Qatari brothers. It’s the construction firms that maltreat us. Actually that’s an understatement. They treat us like animals. I’m just an employee, a number, to my company,” he said.
‘It is an irony that we build these residential apartments and don’t have a roof to sleep under. My company did provide me with accommodation when I landed here, but the rooms were overcrowded – 12 in one room – and the food quality was horrendous. We simply decided to live out in the open rather than the hell my company calls accommodation’
brit.. it looks like we have friends at the same company...lol..
I agree Oryx, but isnt it the sponsorship laws that allow the middle men to get away with it...Once they are here, they are slaves and at the mercy of the sponsors?
No Nadt because the main people responsible are their own corrupt rubbish governments who don't provide for them and so force them into this situation..
don't forget its the middle men in their home countries that rip them off before they get here...
I know Oryx, that says it all doesnt it, knocking back donations because they have "everything". Its obviously a non issue to the sponsors..
I often wonder if there is anything we can do to change this on a large scale, like legally, or will they boot us out because they can. Its always in the papers, but it just gets ignored?
It pains me to see the sorrow on their faces when they are woking or getting kicked out of shopping centre, i always feel guilty, like, why them, i am not better than them, no one is better than the other..
Well I know of a tea boy who wasn't paid for 6 months...
smiled and cheerful everyday... workers actually clubbed together...
and he works for gov ministry
company had gone on strike because they hadn't been paid for three months..
We should thank the Lord for his mercies..
When the QL folk took donations to workers at first we were refused....they had everything....
right they lived in knackered portakabins on a bit of wasteland....
we were told they were fine at the next place...
i had to walk off i was so angry...i just started crying... the fact that people were trying to stop us helping....
disgusting.
Yep its pretty disgusting, the labourers are building the homes that we are living in.. We are all aware of this and repeatedly discuss this topic, and to a degree we have become desensitized to it. The question is what can we do about this? Is there something we can do to change this? Or is this just wishful thinking?
Same issue with family day at shopping malls, apart from not having a decent place to live, they are publicy shunned from the public on their only day off(in a shoping mall they built). I witnessed this today at City Centre, and it made me sick..I know life is not fair, but this is beyond fair...Its disgraceful!!!
This such a sad problem. Hopefully something will be done about this issue.
I have seen so much abuse and so much maltreatment of workers in this country by the people that now I have become totally ignorant and irresponsive tho their plight. Everyday I see the workers working in the open at noon, I marvel their hardwork but I do not feel pity for them. Everytime I hear about a worker collapsing from heat stress, I wonder does his sponsor care whether he has died or survived.
Everytime I see an ambulance wailing and racing to reach a labourer, I wonder do the people around the ambulance in their landcruisers ever think about the workers that they also need shelter, they also need good food, they also need rest, they also need a break, Most of all these people are human beings just like everyone. Do the people deciding their fates (sponsors) ever think that these people also need a room to sleep, they also need an AC.
where is dezigner to comment on that?
Ya'd think that they would at least build dorms to accommodate the many different religions and habits of the worker. I see homeless people here all the time in vancouver, canada, The difference that i see here is our homeless people is they collect a welfare check each month and spend it on alcohol and drugs! we call welfare days here "martigras" People in countries like the story are called the working poor. I really feel for these people. Its a shame.
I know homelessness is prevalent in many countries but it is still very sad to read stories like this. The people who are helping to build all the new construction don't even have a decent place to lay their head down at night.
this is a common problem. go to the industrial area camps and you will see worse than this.